Hopkins family,
 
I remember my first official day on campus.
 
It was August 2004, and I had freshman meetings at Gilman Hall, followed by more freshman meetings in the locker rooms at Homewood Field. Being a student-athlete was both an excruciatingly difficult path chosen, and a blessing.
 
Excruciatingly difficult because there was seemingly no day that I could effectively gather my books and collective senses to fire cognitively the way that each of you demonstrated with such ease and balance. Admittedly, even if I didn't play lacrosse, I would've undershot my performance compared to the Hopkins standard of qualified undergrads, though I'll forever use sport as my crutch. Truth is, the educational talent on campus – undergrads, grads and professors – inspired me to push past my limits of what I thought was "good enough" work, to that of "great" work, to ultimately, the proverbial "pouring every bit of blood, sweat and tears" work I have into said project at-hand. It's made me grateful for the excruciation caused by striving to be the best version of a student and athlete I could be. The competition I uncovered in it all.
 
It was the Hopkins way.
 
On the field, I learned how to respond to the unforeseen missed pass, ground ball, faceoff or shot attempt – the losses – and how valuable resilience is. Earning a win, a better grade, a more fulfilling relationship…that all comes from our ability to endure. Strength and speed are testimonies to athletic prowess…endurance is grit and will.
 
Our story of building something better – the Premier Lacrosse League – being a change agent…a disruptor of sorts, is something that I sincerely hope you all can feel a part of. None of this happens without endurance. None of this works without my time at Hopkins.
 
Perhaps told with no better corollary, the person I worked on this film with was also a Johns Hopkins undergrad – my roommate, actually – our Director, Michael Doneger (brilliant in the way he was able to bring the narrative to life).
 
I hope you can feel this sense of community when/if you watch. The beautiful part about art is that its interpretations are endless.
 
For me, I both sweat and cringe when I see the movie, then reflect on what's gotten us here. Where we come from.
 
I'm a proud alumnus of Johns Hopkins University.
 
-Paul Rabil